Baltimore Puts ‘Boots On The Ground' To Manage Assets

Baltimore holds a unique place in the national imagination. The essential Mid-Atlantic harbor town has served as the setting for imaginative literature and prestige television and seized the national spotlight in critical moments for reasons dubious and aspirational. Despite Baltimore’s distinctive history, it has not been an exception to the country’s aging infrastructure problem. But with an intensive asset management program that emphasizes hands-on maintenance, the city may make history once again.

In a paper titled “Real Asset Management At Work: Boots On The Ground Making A Difference In Baltimore, MD,” which was presented during WEFTEC 2015, Carlos A. Espinosa, PE of MWH Global, and co-author Madeleine R. Driscoll, PE of the Baltimore City Department of Public Works, describe the work of DPW’s Office of Asset Management (OAM) which has been moving the city to a more proactive mode of operation and maintenance.

The City of Baltimore operates nearly 3,600 miles of water infrastructure, plus 1,400 miles of wastewater and 1,150 miles of stormwater infrastructure, per the paper. Like many systems around the country, the infrastructure has not undergone significant renovation in 80 years and has suffered water main breaks, sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), and stormwater flooding as a result. To combat this problem, in 2012 the city established a Utility Asset Management Division within its Bureau of Water and Wastewater. Two years later the division was elevated to the Office of Asset Management (OAM), reporting straight to the Director of Public Works. 

“The mission of the OAM is to implement asset management principles and programs to move Baltimore from a predominantly reactive to a more proactive mode of operation,” Espinosa told Water Online. “We must optimize the service life of our utility assets by implementing a strategic approach to managing these assets at an appropriate cost and acceptable level of risk.”

The OAM is divided into three sections: a Planning and Analysis Division, which assesses infrastructure priorities, future needs, and cost-effective rehabilitation fixes; a Preventative Maintenance Division, which performs maintenance work, oversees inspections, and analyzes rehabilitation recommendations; and a Data Management Division, which monitors historic asset data while obtaining new information to inform decision making models.

The “boots on the ground” aspect of the OAM plan refers to a concerted investment in preventative maintenance programs for the buried water and wastewater infrastructure. Each program began with a conceptual plan which was developed into a planning document and implemented. The paper outlines 13 ongoing programs, from a precast concrete cylinder pipe risk management initiative that will minimize the potential for pipeline failures, to a roadway inspection program that reduces the number of paved-over access points in the public right of way.

These programs are monitored by the city via key performance indicators, which are based on tactical goals and evaluated with data that is collected and validated every month. This is done on a service level, which includes things like sewer overflows and breaks and leaks, and on an operational level, for things like hydrant maintenance and chemical treatment to decrease fats, oils, and grease (FOG) impact.

The authors claim several tangible improvements for the city as results of these programs.

“We have reduced dry-weather SSOs caused by maintenance issues such as roots, FOG, and structural defects,” Espinosa said when asked to list results. “The OAM performs root-cause analysis of dry-weather SSOs and recommends and manages repairs. This, coupled with FOG and cleaning programs, has resulted in a significant reduction in dry-weather SSOs.”  The reductions in mainline and lateral chokes show steady improvement in collection system performance.

The formation of the OAM puts greater emphasis on implementing strategic asset management principles than ever before; this in itself is a victory for Baltimore.  The new office is helping to guide culture change within the DPW while proving the assessment and maintenance required by the aging, buried infrastructure.  It will take decades to fully transform the utility, but the current performance indicators indicate that the “boots on the ground” concept in Baltimore is helping the city and what’s underneath it.